Rum Punch Cake [Recipe]

Anyway, King Arthur Flour sent me some items to review: an 8-inch cake pan, a bag of unbleached cake flour, “cake strips” and a bag of Pineapple Juice Powder. The Pineapple Juice Powder threw me for a loop, and I suddenly had visions of Iron Chef. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of a dessert tasting heavily of pineapple, but I still wanted to take on the challenge of incorporating it in a delicious way.

I decided on the idea of a rum cake with pineapple frosting, and then I took it one step further. Rum Punch, which is a delicious Jamaica concoction, typically contains some combination of rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, and spices (often including ginger). There are plenty of variations, but this was my inspiration.

* The brown sugar/orange juice combo replaces molasses in the recipe and, mixed together, should measure roughly 1/2 cup. You can use molasses instead for a non-orangey cake.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and lightly flour the bottom of two 8 x 8 pans. You can also use two 9 x 9 pans or a 13 x 9, but you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly (you can base it roughly on a cake mix).

Cream the butter until light and fluffy

Beat in sugar.

Beat in eggs.

Mix the orange juice and brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl (or sauce pan) and heat until the sugar dissolves. If using the microwave, work in small increments like 10-20 seconds, stirring thoroughly each time. The mixture shouldn’t be hot, simply warm.

Mix the rum and orange juice/brown sugar blend.

Add the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and allspice.

Slowly add the flour and rum mixture, alternating ingredients and mixing along the way.

Stir until well mixed.

Bake until done. The 8 x 8 pan will take 20-25 minutes.

Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan and then turn out on a rack to cool before frosting.

So, if you really like rum, I’d recommend brushing each of the individual cakes with rum before frosting. I didn’t, but I wish I had. I also upped the recommended spices because the first attempt wasn’t nearly spicy enough. The end result of the orange rum spice cake should be a combination of sweet and spicy flavors. The pineapple juice powder in the frosting makes the frosting more sweet as well, so the spice helps counteract that.

The cake should be stored in the refrigerator to keep the frosting from going funky or melting.

4 Responses to Rum Punch Cake [Recipe]

I can attest first hand that this cake was scrumptious. Not to mention the Martha Stewart style oranges. Sooooo beautiful. The pineapple juice powder was a nice addition. It was very subtle but still noticeable. Yum.